The Night Ferb Wrecked Candace's Car, Got Arrested, and Fell in Love
by EDD17SP
Summary: Ferb sees Vanessa for the first time in five years. She's become a local sensation, and an illegal one at that. And the only way for Ferb to get close enough to talk to her is to join in the illegal activity: street racing. But Ferb isn't the only one in the race after Vanessa's heart... Also featuring Phineabella and a cameo by Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz!
1. Chapter 1

**This story is the product of listening to iTunes on shuffle and hearing _Panama _by Van Halen and _Cop Car_ by Keith Urban back to back, and then seeing the new _Need For Speed _movie. **

**Even though I ship it, I don't do too much Ferbnessa stuff, but I got the idea and it just really seemed perfect. Before you say anything, I don't really think this is out of character for Ferb. Just read it, you'll see. **

Chapter 1

"Try it again, Ferb."

At his brother's request, Ferb turned the key in the ignition of the 1965 Cadillac Coupe Deville. The starter cranked, but the stubborn 7 liter V8 engine refused to turn over.

"Alright!" Phineas called, and Ferb let go of the key. He leaned out the open door to watch as his brother crouched under the hood, ratchet and screwdriver in hand, tweaking the carburetor.

The two step-brothers were in the large workshop on the back of their parents' antique shop. They'd been working here summers and weekends since they'd turned 14 to earn a little extra money. Their favorite task was restoring items that their parents bought at garage sales and swap meets. They loved machining little parts for clock movements, repairing broken pieces of wooden furniture, and occasionally called Isabella to help them patch up a worn tapestry.

As much fun as it was, it just didn't compare to the grandiose rides and contraptions they built in the backyard as kids. They missed the hustle and bustle of major construction, welding, riveting, and the like. So when Lawrence brought home the battered '65 Coupe Deville to restore for a customer, they were ecstatic to get their hands dirty and do some work.

Their first task was turning out to be a bit more difficult than they'd anticipated: getting the engine to start. They'd been at it for about four hours now, and while the old engine didn't need any major repairs other than replacing a rotted fuel line, it simply refused to start.

"Okay," Phineas said, standing up and brushing back his sweat-soaked red hair. "Try it now."

Ferb turned the key. Once again the starter spun, and this time the engine even sounded like it might catch, but it continued to be stubborn. He let the key go. Leaning around the hood to watch his brother again, he saw Phineas unscrew the air cleaner and remove it, grab a can of ether, and spray some into the carburetor.

"Okay, go," Phineas called again, his voice echoing slightly in the workshop.

Ferb turned the key, and after a number of protesting coughs from the engine, at last it turned over. It coughed again as if it might stall, so Ferb gently pressed down the gas pedal and revved up the RPMs. Once the old engine had warmed up, he let it idle again, and it purred smoothly.

"Yes! We got it!" Phineas high-fived his brother, which was possible because the convertible top was down. "Want to go get some pizza? I'm starving."

"Yeah, alright."

"In fact, let's drive the Caddy there. It'll probably be good to drive it. You know, break in the engine after not being started in so long."

Ferb nodded and Phineas ran around to the right side of the car, stopping briefly along the way to close the hood. Then he jumped into passenger seat. "Let's go!" The transmission made a bit of a grinding sound as Ferb shifted into reverse. They both winced and looked at each other. "We should probably fix that next," Phineas said.

Ferb carefully backed the eighteen-and-a-half foot car out of the workshop and steered for the road, heading toward the pair's favorite pizza place in town.

* * *

"What the-?"

Phineas's exclamation came when he caught sight of the crowd of cars and people in the road in front of the old drive-in theater lot. The road was so clogged that Ferb had to stop the car. People were piling into the drive-in lot, and they all seemed to be gathering around a mostly empty area that was blocked off by rope beneath the dark movie screen.

Before they even realized what was happening, the car was surrounded by people filing past. They couldn't even back up.

"What in the world is going on?"

Ferb shrugged. "Beats me." They unbuckled their seatbelts and stood up on the seats, not caring much about their dirty shoes. The interior of the car had to be completely redone, anyway.

"It looks like…" Phineas squinted toward the base of the movie screen, shading his eyes from the setting sun with his hand. "Cars. Really shiny cars. Lined up like they're ready to race or something, but there's no racetrack here."

Ferb carefully hopped over the windshield to the hood to get a little bit closer and a little bit higher. "Hmm…you're right. It does look like they're lined up for a race."

"Hey! Phineas! Ferb!"

They turned, scanning the thickening crowd for the source of the familiar voice. "Over here, Dillweeds!"

There, right in front of the idling car, stood Buford.

"Hey, Buford!" Phineas called. "I thought that was you! Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Street racing meet, duh!" the bully mocked, rolling his eyes.

"And all these people came to compete?"

"Of course not! They came to watch! That's why I'm here." Buford lowered his eyes. "I'd love to compete, but I don't exactly have the cash to blow on a new car if I crash."

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "Isn't street racing, you know, illegal?"

Buford smirked. "Only if you get caught. But running from the cops is part of the fun!"

"I don't know about this," Phineas said. "I sort of feel like we should call the police. Someone could get hurt."

"Nah," Buford quipped, flipping his hand. "I've been to plenty of these things. It's not dangerous. The drivers are actually really skilled. Hardly ever a crash."

Phineas put a hand to his non-existent chin. "Mmm…I don't know…what do you think, Ferb." For the first time, Phineas realized that Ferb was not paying attention to the conversation. He was looking very intently at the group of racecars beneath the movie screen. "Ferb?"

Ferb squinted hard. He was peering intently at a forest green 1985 Z28-IROC Chevy Camaro. More specifically, he was looking hard at the person that he assumed was the owner. He'd only briefly caught the figure before they'd crouched down beside the car, and he was intently waiting until they stood back up.

And when she did, his jaw dropped. "Vanessa?!"

"Vanessa?" Phineas repeated. "You see her?"

Ferb nodded, trying to make absolutely sure that it was her. There was no mistaking it. She was dressed in a black leather jumpsuit and her silky hair was even longer than when he'd seen it last. He couldn't make out much more detail from so far away, but as far as he could tell, she was just as beautiful as he remembered.

It had been years since he'd seen her last, not since he was twelve. But he never forgot about her. He often thought about the crush he'd had on her. Ferb was tormented, not sure just how much he'd really liked her. He'd never had time to find out before she'd seemingly disappeared from his life. But he knew one thing for sure: His heart still beat faster at the sight of her.

"Oh, yeah," Buford said. "Vanessa Doofenshmit. Or Doofenblat. Or…um…something…I never know how to say it."

"Doofenshmirtz," Ferb corrected without averting his gaze.

"Right, right. Anyway," Buford went on, "She's a real badass behind the wheel. She's killer. Really tough to beat. Everyone loves her. Real popular. That's part of the reason why there's such a crowd."

"Huh," Phineas said, "I never really took Vanessa as the law-breaker type."

"Well, apparently, she was dating some dude a bunch of years ago, someone that her father didn't want her associating with, and the guy's pop didn't want him associating with her, so to keep them apart they shipped the dude off to Europe or something and Vanessa's dad kicked her out," Buford explained. "As least, that's the rumor, anyway. She was feeling depressed and angry, so she bought that Camaro of hers and started working on it, and then she started racing it."

Ferb didn't hear much of the explanation after Buford said that Vanessa had been forced apart from her boyfriend. He found his usually very calculated and logical brain thinking nothing but _I have to talk to her._

"I want to go say hello," Ferb said, hopping off the hood of the Cadillac to the ground.

"Good luck with that, Dude," Buford laughed. "Just because this isn't exactly a legal event doesn't mean that they don't have security. They block off the starting grid from spectator to give the racers room to work on their cars. The only way you could get close enough to talk to her would be if you were to enter the race yourself."

For the first time, Ferb turned to face Buford. "When does the race start?"

Phineas's eyes just about popped out of his head. "Ferb, you aren't seriously thinking about partaking in an illegal activity, are you?"

"Of course not," Ferb said. "I just want to get on the grid so I can talk to Vanessa. When the race starts, I'll just drive home instead of competing."

"You're not planning on entering in this rolling scrap pile, are you?" Buford asked, kicking the dented front bumper of the Coupe Deville.

"It doesn't really matter," Ferb said. "It's not like I'm going to actually race."

"I hate to break it to you, Dude, but if you roll this thing up there, they'll laugh at you and refuse to let you enter. You need something that at least _looks_ like a racecar. The race doesn't start for an hour. Why don't you go home and get your GTO?"

"I can't. I lent it to Baljeet so he could go to that week-long science conference at Harvard."

"Well, you'd better find something. Otherwise, they'll never let you up there. They won't think you're serious."

Ferb looked at Phineas. "Oh, dear sweet brother of mine, do you think I could-"

"You are not entering my Ford Torino in an illegal street race," Phineas growled. "Besides, I'm supposed to pick up Isabella in forty-five minutes to take her dancing."

Ferb put a hand to his chin, deep in thought. After a few moments, he slowly climbed back into the driver's seat of the Cadillac. "Come on, Phineas. Let's go."

Phineas looked confused. "Uh…okay. Where are we going?"

"Home."

"Oh, good. Let's get out of this place." Phineas resumed his spot in the passenger seat. "See you, Buford," he called with a wave. "Try not to get arrested."

Ferb shifted the car into reverse. The crowd had thinned enough behind them to back out and turn around.

* * *

"Um, Ferb?" Phineas said slowly. "Where are we going?"

"Home," he replied simply.

"I hate to tell you this, Bro, but this is not the way to our house."

"I didn't say we were going to our house. I said we were going home. And home," he added with a smirk, "is where the heart is."

Phineas was even more confused than before. "I'm pretty sure that's still our house on Maple Drive."

"True, but there is a piece of heart that doesn't live at our home anymore."

They passed the STOR, and Phineas suddenly realized where they were headed. "Ferb, no! Bad idea, Dude! Turn around!"

Ferb just smirked and urged the rattling Cadillac onto a side street.

* * *

Candace quickly wrapped a robe around herself and hurried down the stairs to the front door in a huff. She flung open the door ready to unleash her wrath on whoever stood on the other side, but she never even had a chance to open her mouth. She only had time to realize that the one who had rang the doorbell was Ferb.

"Hello, Candace. I need to borrow your car," her step-brother said quickly.

Her jaw hung slack with shock, unsure what to say. For the first time, she noticed Phineas standing at the bottom of the stoop, holding his face in his hand and shaking his head. "Uh…you want the Nymph?" she said slowly, surprised. "Um, sure. Hang on." She scurried back into the townhouse and returned a moment later with the keys to the car in question, which was parked in the small lot just behind the boys. "Here you go. Have fun."

Ferb took the keys from her and headed for the parking lot as Candace started to close the front door.

"Wait, hang on, Sis!" Phineas called. "Aren't you at all curious as to why Ferb wants your car?"

"Nope. Don't care."

"Really? Not even a little?"

"Nope. Jeremy and I were in the middle of…something when you showed up and I'd kinda like to get back to it."

Phineas turned his head away and held out his hands, palms out. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! T.M.I., Sis!"

"Well, now you know." And she closed the door.

Phineas heard the Nedlington Nymph's engine crank to life behind him. He strolled slowly toward the parking lot, watching Ferb drive away in the car that they'd restored for Candace seven years ago. He sighed and strolled back over to the Coupe Deville. He sank into the sagging driver's seat and placed his hands on the steering wheel. Shaking his head, his pulled out his cell phone.

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

After a few rings, the person he'd called picked up. _"Hello?"_

"Um, hi, Isabella." Phineas pinched the bridge of his nose. "I, uh, I think I have to cancel our date tonight."

_"Huh? Why?"_

"Because Ferb is entering in an illegal street race so he can talk to Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. I don't want to leave him alone. I won't feel right if I don't know if he's safe or not."

_"Oh. Well, okay then. That's fine."_

"Thank you so much for understanding, Isabella. I'm really sorry."

_"It's okay, Phineas. I understand. I'd do the same thing if one of the girls had a problem."_

Phineas smiled. "You're the best, Isabella. And I'll make it up to you, I promise."

_"Don't worry about it, Honey." _There was a pause. _"Would, uh…would you like some company?"_

**I hope you're all enjoying this so far. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be, but I expect there to be at the very least three or four more of them to finish the story, all hopefully within the next two weeks or so. **


	2. Chapter 2

**There seemed to be a bit of confusion about the character's ages in the last chapter, so allow me to clarify: **

**I stated that the boys have been working at the Flynn-Fletcher's antique shop _summers and weekends since they were 14,_ meaning that several years have passed since they began working there. I also said that Ferb hadn't seen Vanessa in 5 years. I never actually stated how old they were present day. For the record, the boys and their friends are 17 years old, and that would make Candace, Vanessa, and any other teenagers that appear in this story 22 years old. The last time Ferb saw Vanessa was when he was 12, assuming that he is 10 years old in the show. **

**Also, it was questioned by a guest reviewer where the parents are during this story. The only answer I have for you is "Does it really matter?" For the same guest reviewer who said Phineas and Ferb are out of character in this story: This is taking place at least 6-7 years after the show. If they're a little out of character for 10, they're just right for 17. **

**Speaking of reviews, thank you very much to those of you who took the time to review Chapter 1. I really appreciate it. **

**Okay, now that that is over with…enjoy chapter 2!**

Chapter 2

Vanessa was meticulous.

Before each race, she went through the same mental checklist: Optimize tire pressure, tighten the lugs, gap-check the spark-plugs, check all the fluid levels, make sure the fuel and brake lines hadn't been tampered with, and then wax the car.

She closed the hood and gazed out at her adoring fans, drinking in the cheers and cat-calls that came her way. Vanessa had come to really enjoy the attention.

In all truth, the IROC Camaro wasn't much of a racecar stock, making just 200 horsepower and maxing out at about 130 miles per hour. This car, however, was anything but stock. Vanessa had swapped out the 5.0 V8 engine with a 3.6L V6 from a 2010 Camaro, and while this one had two cylinders less, it made over 300 horsepower, plus a few dozen more from the custom super-charger she'd built. The matching 6-speed manual transmission also maximized the Camaro's acceleration.

The Camaro still lacked in power, though, in comparison to some of the other cars she raced against, but what she lacked in power she made up for in skill. Vanessa built the suspension herself to suit her driving style, and even revamped the power-steering and brakes to help further. Combined with her incredible skill behind the wheel, she could catch, pass, and outrun just about anything simply by out-maneuvering them.

Vanessa reached under the passenger seat and removed her bottle of wax and a rag. Closing the door, she squeezed a glob of wax onto the rag and began to rub it against the front fender.

The inquiry had been made more than once as to why she chose not to go for a more powerful engine. If she had more ponies at her disposal, combined with her skill and maneuvering capabilities, she could leave the competition in the dust every time. Vanessa always had the same answer: "There would be no challenge. Where's the fun in that?"

As she crouched down to wax the rocker panel, Vanessa felt the inexplicable tingle of a pair of eyes watching her. Sure, there were easily three hundred spectators jammed into the drive-in lot, but that wasn't it. There was a difference between spectating and being watched.

Slowly, Vanessa turned around. At the sight of the tall man standing behind her, she sneered, and spoke through gritted teeth. "Hello, Johnny."

Vanessa's ex-punk-rock-boyfriend grinned slyly. "Hey, Vanessa."

She stood up, turned to face him, and crossed her arms. Her voice dripping with malice and disgust, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Johnny stepped forward. "I've come to win you back, Vanessa."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah? How exactly are you planning on doing that?"

Johnny smirked. "Oh…I have ways…"

"Like wha-" Vanessa stopped when she realized what Johnny was wearing. He was dressed in his same old punk-rock style, right down to that purple streak in his long hair, but he was wearing a leather jacket and holding an open-faced motorcycle helmet in his right hand. She scowled at him. "Oh, no. Don't tell me…" She face-palmed. "You're going to race against me tonight, because you think that if you beat me, I'll become impressed by your 'incredible skill, which is far superior to mine,' and beg you to take me back," she mocked.

Johnny rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I don't believe you!" Vanessa shouted. "Do you have any idea how demeaning and sexist that sounds?"

"Ummm…"

Vanessa spun on her heel and crouched to continue her task. "You haven't changed a bit."

Johnny stepped closer. "Please, Vanessa? I'm putting my life on the line here trying to win you back! I miss you! Please give me a chance?"

She'd never heard Johnny plead before. But Vanessa said nothing, finishing to rub wax on the rocker panel. When she'd finished, she stood and faced him again. "Fine. If you beat me tonight, I will go on one date with you. ONE!" she added quickly when he opened his mouth to speak. "During which time you will prove to me that you have changed and are worthy of my attention."

Johnny grinned determinedly. "Not a problem. Especially not with the car I brought!"

Vanessa folded her arms and raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh?"  
"Yeah. Brand new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. Launch Control. Traction management. Dynamic Chassis Control. Torque Vectoring. 400 horsepower." Johnny spoke with an air of confidence, showing off his knowledge. "Yeah. It's a beast."

Vanessa chuckled. "It's a chick car!"

Johnny clenched his fists. "It is not!"

"I'll bet you don't even know what half of those things mean."

Johnny scowled, but said nothing.

Vanessa gestured to her own Camaro. "The only thing on my car that's electronically controlled is the EFI. And I only bought the car for the frame and the body. I _built_ everything mechanical."

Johnny folded his arms. "Well…I guess we'll just have to wait and see if your own designs are as good as German engineering."

Vanessa covered her mouth as she chuckled again. "Johnny, what racing experience do you even have? And video games don't count."

Johnny fell silent.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought." She once again returned to her car and began to work at dry wax on the rocker panel, polishing it off. "You could have the fastest car in the world and still lose if you don't know how to drive it."

Johnny scoffed. "We'll see about that." And he stalked away.

Vanessa smiled and rolled her eyes. _Boys. They never change._

* * *

Phineas parked his 1970 Ford Torino in the grass on the side of the road a little ways down from the crowds at the drive-in theater. He strolled around to the passenger side and opened the door for Isabella, taking his girlfriend's hand as she stepped out of the car.

"My head is spinning right now," Phineas groaned as they walked toward the drive-in.

"Why?" Isabella asked.

Phineas turned his eyes to the darkening sky. "Ferb is entering an illegal street race to talk to a girl, you don't think it's weird or dangerous to be here, Candace is…well…" He shrugged. "Things seem so much more complicated since we were kids."

Isabella squeezed Phineas's hand. "Hey, we're a family. Not officially, but you know what I mean. We look out for each other. If there was no convincing Ferb not to do this, then we can at least be here to look after him."

"I guess…" Phineas sighed. "I just barely believe that our lives have changed this much."

Isabella stopped walking and placed her hands on Phineas's shoulders, looking into his eyes. "It's not the only thing that's changed," she said with a grin, giving her boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips. "It's all part of growing up."

Phineas smirked. "I guess you're right."

They joined hands again and resumed their walk.

* * *

Vanessa was just finishing to wax her car when she heard a familiar English voice behind her say, "Vanessa?"

She turned and was greeted by the sight of a young man with a shock of green hair. Her mouth curled into a smile and her eyes widened. "Ferb!" She quickly threw her arms around his neck and after a few moments felt him hug her back. "It's so good to see you!" She released her grip, but kept her hands on his shoulders. "It's been so long since I've seen you! How are you?"

"I can't complain," Ferb said. "Even better now that I've seen you."

Vanessa started to blush, but then realization struck her. She wasn't sure where it had come from. Since her forced breakup with Monty Monogram, she'd been very cynical and uncaring, her personality drastically changed. But something about seeing her old friend Ferb made her think a bit more clearly and realize something. "What are you doing here, Ferb? This…" She leaned closer and continued in a lower voice. "This is illegal. And dangerous."

"I'm racing," Ferb said quickly, not wanting to voice his true intentions.

Vanessa was shocked. "Ferb! You can't! You could really get hurt!"

The teenager held up a hand. He could tell that Vanessa was worried about him, and he supposed he could tell her the truth. "Well, actually, I-"

Ferb was suddenly interrupted when a loudspeaker crackled.

_"Racefans! Are you ready?!"_

There was a loud cheer from crowd.

_"We're almost ready to go racing, so drivers, please strap yourselves in!"_

_Drat! _thought Ferb. _I didn't get to really talk to her. _

Vanessa bit her lower lip. "It's, uh, time to get going, Ferb. I'll talk to you after the race, okay?"

Ferb nodded. _I suppose I'm actually going to have to race now. _He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Vanessa's hand on his shoulder again.

"Just please, be careful," Vanessa said.

Ferb nodded. "You, too."

* * *

From a few dozen yards away, Johnny watched as Vanessa cheerfully greeted Ferb. He watched them hug. He watched Vanessa's face grow concerned and her hand find its way to Ferb's shoulder. He could feel envy boiling up inside him.

_Now I've got to beat that kid, too,_ he thought. _If I beat Vanessa but lose to him, she'll never take me seriously. _

_Well…at least HIM I don't have to race clean…_

* * *

Phineas and Isabella found the thick crowd impassable when they reached the drive-in lot, so instead they climbed a maple tree on the edge of the lot. Perched up high, they had a great view of the starting grid.

The eight cars were lined up two by two, with Ferb in the Nedlington Nymph all the way at the back and Vanessa's Camaro in the middle. There was a bright red Porsche in the second row that briefly caught their attention, but they returned their focus to the Nymph (which, at the push of a button, Ferb had turned violet) when the loudspeaker crackled again.

_"Drivers! Start your engines!"_

Phineas took Isabella's hand. "Please, Ferb, be careful," he whispered to himself.

Isabella squeezed his hand. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Phineas. I've seen Ferb fly aircraft, spacecraft, sail boats, a submarine, a giant robotic shark, and let's not forget that when you competed in the Swamp Oil 500 that Ferb was the one driving the car by remote control. He's got a lot of skill, that brother of yours. He'll be fine."

Phineas gave Isabella a half-smile, but he still wasn't very reassured.

* * *

Ferb pressed one of the many buttons on the Nedlington's dashboard, and a robotic arm extended from the back of the seat and placed a full-faced racing helmet on his head. The glove box popped open and another arm handed him a pair of leather racing gloves. He pulled them on as the MC announced _"Drivers! Start your engines!"_

Hearing the cars in front of him fire up, he hurriedly slid the key into the ignition and twisted it. The engine purred smoothly to life.

_Hmmm…I suppose it wouldn't hurt to actually compete,_ Ferb thought._ It could be fun. Besides, Phineas and I built this car to be very safe. _

Ferb flicked a few switches on the dash, turning off the traction control and other computer controlled extras that might hinder his ability to race. One more switch caused a gear shifter to appear between the front seats, over-riding the automatic transmission.

Then he moved both hands to the steering wheel and revved the engine a few times, silently preparing to race.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys. Sorry this one took so long. **

Chapter 3

A tall, beautiful girl with shoulder length brunette hair clad in a black floral-print bikini sashayed out in front of the starting grid carrying a checkered flag. She positioned herself between the two rows of cars and held the checkered flag high above her head. The racers' eyes were locked on her as they waited anxiously for her to start the race.

Every racer prepares for the exhilaration, the adrenaline that comes with speed, and the intense focus and concentration needed to react quickly during a race. Johnny, for instance, was holding the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip, arms straight and rigid, tensing all the muscles in his body, and gritting his teeth…and briefly thinking in the back of his mind that the girl with the checkered flag might be more worth going after than Vanessa in between trying to focus only on the dirt trail ahead of him leading out the side of the drive-in lot toward the road.

Vanessa's preparation was the polar opposite. She was very relaxed, comfortable in the carbon-fiber racing seat, her helmeted head leaning back against the headrest. She held the steering wheel as if she were merely going for a Sunday cruise, her mind clear of all distractions.

At the back of the starting grid beside a silver Audi, Ferb was in a state between the two. He gripped the wheel tightly, but not urgently. The rest of his body was relaxed, but his sharpened mind was focused, clear of all thoughts and emotion, focused solely on racing.

When the bikini-clad girl brought the flag down with a flourish of her hand, six of the racers, including Johnny, slammed their respective gas pedals down hard, tires spinning on the hard-packed dirt. Ferb and Vanessa, however, accelerated with a more experienced, controlled foot on the throttle. There was no wheel slip from either of their cars, and they shot around the competition. Vanessa was already even with Johnny's Porsche when they passed the girl with the starting flag and Ferb passed half of the cars head of him.

They tore down the short dirt path through the thicket of trees leading back to the main road. Johnny's Porsche slid on some loose dirt as he turned back to the road, but Vanessa kept her Camaro under her control, easily passing him.

"See ya!" Vanessa called as she shifted up to third gear and tore away.

Johnny gritted his teeth and upshifted his own car, giving chase. He could accelerate just a little faster than Vanessa and gained on her down a straight road. But when the road ended and the race course took them to the left, Vanessa threw her car into a controlled drift, easily extending her ground on Johnny as his traction control forced him to slow to make the turn.

On the next turn, Vanessa turned early, leaving the road and sliding through the wide, grassy shoulder to pass a heavily modified Honda Civic for second place. Johnny was about to her rear bumper at that point, and he copied her move, though not nearly as gracefully, to take third.

"One to go," Vanessa whispered to herself, setting her sights on the Pontiac Firebird in the lead just ahead.

The driver of the Firebird saw Vanessa's Camaro in his rearview mirror and immediately tried to step it up. He grabbed the parking brake handle as he slid through the next corner, trying to make a sharp drift. While the drift was clean, he lost a lot of speed coming out of it, and by the time he down shifted to accelerate, Vanessa was pulling alongside and waving as she edged ahead.

Johnny watched Vanessa take the lead, his aggravation growing. He barreled into the next turn, braking hard as he tried to turn down under the Firebird, but not soon enough. The right front fender of his Porsche hit the Pontiac's rear bumper, sending it spinning as Johnny passed. Ignoring the wrinkle in his fender, Johnny set his sights on Vanessa's Camaro.

"Alright, girl. Just you and me now."

The next turn, a hard left, took the racers down route 86, a long stretch of empty road on the outskirts of Danville that would take them back to within a mile of the drive-in theater. This road had several long straightaways as well as some curves that meandered through small wooded patches.

Johnny chuckled to himself as he chased Vanessa down a straight chute, watching the back bumper of her Camaro grow larger in his windshield. Vanessa, on the other hand, just smiled to herself as they neared a sharp left bend. She tapped the brake and floored the gas, throwing the steering wheel hard as she drifted expertly through the turn. Johnny attempted a drift, but only managed to fully stop the momentum of his car, losing ground again to Vanessa as he downshifted and accelerated again.

"Grrrrrr!"

It took a good minute for Johnny to close the gap again, and when he did, Vanessa easily evaded his offence again on a series of sharp corners. He resumed his chase, and eventually came to the longest stretch of straight asphalt on the road. He pulled right up to her back bumper, the next turn still half a mile ahead.

"Now I've got you," he chuckled to himself as he listed over to the oncoming lane to make the pass.

* * *

Biffany Van Stomm hated driving on route 86, especially at night. It was so long and empty that the ribbon of asphalt was almost hypnotizing. Once, she'd actually fallen asleep completely and only avoided a serious crash because of the rumble strip on the shoulder.

Tonight, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open again. She'd turned up the radio quite loud to help stave off sleep, but it wasn't helping much.

Suddenly, Biffany heard something over the blasting music. She wasn't sure what it was so she turned down the radio to take a listen. It was very obviously the sound of car engines, but extremely loud, and they sounded like they were moving quite fast.

And then, almost without warning, they appeared, coming toward her. They were only about fifty yards away when one of them suddenly pulled into the opposite lane, heading straight for Biffany.

"AAHH!" she cried out, and twisted the steering wheel of her station wagon to the right, turning off the road into a shallow ditch. The racers screamed past as Biffany caught her breath. "Oh, my stars."

Quickly coming to her senses, Biffany reached over to the passenger seat for her purse and extracted her cell phone, dialing 911. "Hello, police? I was just run off the road by some street racers…I'm on route 86, they were heading south toward the drive-in…"

* * *

Vanessa could do nothing. Her car just didn't accelerate fast enough to outrun Johnny. She watched helplessly as his Porsche pulled ahead, his car blocking her view of the innocent bystander that was run off the road.

"Ha ha ha!" Johnny laughed as he took the lead. "Now what are you gonna do? Ha ha-"

Johnny's laughter was cut short as a dark purple car rocketed past him…literally.

"What the-?!"

Ferb had activated the rocket boosters on the Nedlington Nymph, catching and passing both Vanessa and Johnny on the long straightaway with ease.

"Whoo hoo!" Vanessa called out as she watched him take the lead away from Johnny. "Go, Ferb!"

Ferb remained stoic as he switched off the rockets, which folded back into the side panels of the Nymph. _This is rather fun, _he thought.

* * *

"Perry the Platypus, how did you escape?!"

Perry ignored Doofenshmirtz's question and leapt up, landing a stiff right hook to his nemesis's face. Doof fell to the ground.

"Oh, it's on, now!" Grabbing a nearby wrench, Doof jumped back to his feet. The evil scientist swung it at Perry, but the platypus easily evaded the strike. He repeated his earlier move, springing up and punching Doofenshmirtz in the face.

"Gah!" Heinz gasped as he stumbled backwards, trying to remain on his feet. He back-stepped into his inator, which fired out the open window. "Whoops! I hope that doesn't hit anything."

He didn't get a chance to say anything else, as Perry quickly crossed the room and hit the self-destruct button. The inator exploded with a bang, and Perry leapt out the window, his hang glider deploying and carrying him away.

"Curse you, Perry the Platypus!"

* * *

The ray from Dr. Doofenshmirtz's Topple-inator struck a large oak tree alongside route 86. The old, sturdy wood suddenly cracked seemingly without reason, and the fifty-foot tree came crashing down onto the road, blocking one lane just around a blind corner.

* * *

The long straight stretch of road on this section of route 86 coming to an end, Ferb let off the gas and downshifted as he neared the sharp turn ahead. Trees surrounded the road on both sides, leaving little room for error should he slip up.

Ferb tapped the brakes and threw the Nymph into a perfect drift around the outside of the curve as he floored the gas again. He started to pull the car back straight as he came out of the turn…but was not expecting the large tree laying in the oncoming lane.

The only thing Ferb had time to do was take his foot off the gas pedal before the Nedlington Nymph smashed head-on into the tree.


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry this took so long. **

Chapter 4

Vanessa dove low into the turn, aiming underneath Jonny's Porsche to pass him back. She braked hard and wrenched the steering wheel over, throwing the Camaro into a drift. She managed to get a run on Johnny as he once again failed miserably at drifting and lost a lot of momentum.

And then everything seemed to happen at once. Vanessa saw the huge downed tree, though her path through the turn took her around the top most branches. She saw the purple Nedlington Nymph with its nose against the trunk, the long front end crumpled like an accordion.

"Ferb!"

Just past the tree, Vanessa slammed on the brakes and cranked on the wheel, spinning the Camaro around…just as Johnny maneuvered his Porsche around the tree and headed on down the road.

As she back peddled to the site of Ferb's crash, she thought to herself, _I don't believe him! He's just leaving!_

She swung the car around and parked it on the shoulder, jumped out, and ran over to the Nymph.

"Ferb!" she cried out. "Ferb!"

Reaching the car, Vanessa could see him. He was slumped over to the side, but appeared uninjured.

"Ferb! Ferb!" She reached over the door, grabbed his shoulder, and hoisted him into an upright position, pushing the now deflated airbag away. Through the visor on his helmet, she could see his eyes were closed, but he appeared relatively unhurt. She carefully removed the helmet. "Ferb! Oh, Ferb, please wake up!"

Leaning close to his face, she listened carefully for breathing as she felt his chest for his heartbeat. She was relieved to detect both.

"Ferb?" she asked, slightly more at ease. "Ferb?"

He stirred slightly, moaning a bit as shifted his head.

"Ferb?" Vanessa leaned closer. "Are you alright? Wake up, Ferb."

The green haired Brit moaned again and opened his eyes. "Am I dead?"

She smiled, tears of relief forming in the corners of her eyes. "No, Ferb. You're alive. Does anything hurt?"

Slowly, he sat up in the seat. "My chest…"

Vanessa helped him. "Your chest?"

He winced. "From the airbag…" Vanessa opened the door and took his hand, helping him step out. "I do not believe anything is broken, though."

In the distance, the sound of police sirens could be heard. As the two friends spoke, the Danville Police Department was rounding up the other racers.

Ferb staggered on his feet, still feeling a little dizzy. Vanessa helped him gently sit down on the blacktop next to the Nymph. She crouched down beside him. "I was really afraid something like this might happen." She shook her head. "I was really afraid you would get hurt."

Ferb placed a hand on Vanessa's shoulder. "The only reason that I entered the race was so that I could talk to you. I wasn't even going to race for real, but then…I didn't have time."

Vanessa's eyes widened. "You…you just wanted to talk to me?"

Ferb nodded.

"Wow…I…I don't know what to say…"

Ferb opened his mouth again, but didn't have a chance to speak. Three police cars rounded the turn and quickly braked to a stop, the officers jumping out and rushing over to the two racers.

* * *

The police car's rear door closed with a click, trapping Ferb inside. A moment later, Vanessa was pushed in through the other side, the officer blocking her escape with his body as he spoke to a fellow cop. She sighed heavily, rattling her handcuffs.

"I'm sorry about this, Ferb."

"It's alright, Vanessa. I suppose my feelings got in the way of my common sense."

She looked at him, confused. "You really missed me that much? I mean, we never even really hung out ever. We just ran into each other a couple times."

"Well…" Ferb stared out the window, focused on nothing in particular. "I…I harbor some…great affection for you, Vanessa."

Vanessa's eyes widened. Her mind was suddenly whirling, thoughts flying through her subconscious. And suddenly, everything became clear to her.

Making sure that no one was watching, she fiddled with her wrist watch.

"Hey, Ferb?"

Hesitantly, he turned to face her. She held up her hands…and her handcuffs fell away. "What'dya say…we make a run for it?" she whispered, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

"How did you do that?" he asked quietly.

"Give me your hands." He did so, and she tapped her watch again. A small laser beam fired from the top as she ran her fingernail through the groove around the crystal, and she blasted the locks off of Ferb's cuffs. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"A little gift from my dear ol' dad, before he practically disowned me." Vanessa winked.

Ferb's eyes turned down. "I'm not so sure about this…"

"C'mon! It'll make an awesome story someday!"

Their eyes met again. Ferb could see the gleam in her eyes, the passion, the desire…

"Okay," he said, flashing her a rare Ferbian smile. "But how do we…?" He nodded toward the police officer blocking the open door. His fellow officer had left, and now he stood leaning his arm against the open door, paying no attention to the two racers inside.

"Just watch."

Vanessa leaned over, reached up, and jabbed her finger into the cop's neck. He immediately lost consciousness. Quickly, she caught him to avoid attracting any attention when he fell. She lowered him gently to the ground.

"Let's go!" She took Ferb's hand and roughly dragged him out of the back of the police car, stepping carefully over the unconscious form of the KOed cop.

As quietly as they could, they ran across the empty road to Vanessa's Camaro. Someone had turned off the engine, but the keys were still in the ignition. Ferb hopped into the passenger seat as Vanessa fired up the Chevrolet. She gave it a rev.

"Hey!" yelled another cop, whipping around. The rest of the officers turned just in time to watch the forest green Camaro do a smoky burnout, slide through the grass on the shoulder, drive around the base of the fallen tree, and slide back onto the road on the other side. It sped away with a roar of the V8.

"After 'em!" someone yelled, as the police officers jumped back into their cars. Moving to avoid the tree, they found themselves in a log jam, and evading the obstruction became a quite slow task.

Vanessa accelerated away hard, wheeling the Camaro with a new motivation, throwing it through every turn. Her passion was powered by a powerful hunger to teach Johnny a lesson and her newfound realization of Ferb's affection.

Ferb turned in his seat, watching as the police cars fumbled their way around the downed tree. He smiled and turned back to Vanessa. She was smiling determinedly. "You have a plan, don't you?" he asked.

Her lips curled up further and her eyes narrowed as she wrenched on the steering wheel. "Oh, yes. Yes I do." Her eyes flickered to the back of the car. "Reach back behind my seat."

Ferb felt around and his hand closed on something made of smooth wood. He pulled it out onto his lap. It was a baseball bat. Vanessa smirked at him again. Ferb smirked back.

"Oh, this is going to be sweet."

* * *

Isabella felt Phineas's hand tighten around hers as the high-pitched whine of an engine revving at high speed broke through the night air.

"Here comes the leader!" Phineas exclaimed as headlights pierced the trees on the far side of the drive-in lot.

A moment later, the car came into view. It was Johnny's red Porsche. Its tires locked up and it slid to a stop in the loose dirt. The crowd let out a roar as Johnny stepped out and waved, looking quite smug. The young couple up in the tree couldn't tell if the spectators were cheering or jeering.

"But…where's Ferb?" Phineas asked aloud when no other cars appeared after several minutes had passed. "And Vanessa?"

Isabella searched the horizon. "Where are any of the other racers?"

Suddenly, their ears picked up the growl of a much deeper engine echoing across the nearby fields.

"Here comes someone!" Phineas cried.

What happened next transpired in about three seconds' time.

Vanessa's Camaro burst from the trees at high speed, heading straight for Johnny's Porsche.

"AHH!" Johnny shrieked, diving away from his car.

The Camaro streaked past, inches from the Porsche. An arm clutching a baseball bat extended from the open passenger window and made contact with the driver's window, shattering it, and managing to break off the side mirror, as well. Then the Chevrolet streaked away.

"Was that Ferb? In Vanessa's car?" Phineas asked aloud. Isabella just shrugged.

No sooner was the green racecar gone, the sound of police sirens could be faintly heard. From their perch up in the tree, Phineas and Isabella could see the flashing lights heading toward the drive-in lot.

"Um, maybe we should get out of here," Phineas said.

"My thoughts exactly." Isabella jumped down from the branch still clutching Phineas's hand, pulling him down with her. They hit the ground and took off around the side of the lot, heading for where Phineas had parked his Torino.

No sooner had the couple made themselves scarce and vacated the area, the police arrived in the drive-in. A few continued to chase after the long-gone Camaro, and the rest stopped, the officers quickly assessing suspects and taking them into custody as the crowd scattered. Johnny tried to slip away and bumped right into the Danville Sherriff.

"Where's the fire, son?" the Sherriff asked with a thick southern drawl.

"Um, I, uh…I really have to go to the bathroom, officer!" he blurred out without thinking.

"Not a problem, son," the Sherriff said, removing the handcuffs from his belt. "You can relieve yourself at the station downtown."

Johnny gulped.

* * *

_The next morning…_

Phineas rubbed his eyes tiredly as he walked down the stairs. He was exhausted from waiting up for Ferb the night before, and when he had finally dozed off, his step brother still had not returned home.

"Hello?" he called, walking into the kitchen. There was no reply. He had expected his parents to be gone for the day, for it was rather late, but he was disappointed not to hear Ferb reply.

The **New Message** light was blinking on the answering machine. Feeling a pang of hope that it might be a message from Ferb, he clicked the button.

_*Beeeeep!* __**One new message. Message one: **__"Hey, guys,"_ Candace's voice said, _"Ferb, if you could call me, that'd be great, because I kinda NEED MY CAR BACK. Thanks. Love you guys!" *Beeeep!*_

Phineas raised an eyebrow. _He didn't take Candace's car back, either? Where is he?_

He walked into the living room where Isabella was asleep on the couch. Sleeping at each other's houses had become a common occurrence since they'd started dating, and both of their parents were fine with it as long as they slept on different floors. She'd stayed up with him as long as she could, but had lost the battle with exhaustion long before Phineas.

He gently touched Isabella's arm. "Isabella…Isabella, wake up."

The girl stirred slightly. "Ugnn…five more minutes."

"Isabella!"

Her eyes sprung open. "Huh? Wha?"

"Ferb still isn't back."

A concerned frown crossed Isabella's face. "He's not? Then where is he?"

"I-" Phineas's thought was cut off by the throaty revving of a car engine outside.

* * *

Vanessa braked the Camaro to a stop in front of the Flynn-Fletcher house, but left it in gear. She smiled over at Ferb as he climbed from the car and jogged around to the driver's side. He leaned into the open window.

"Thank you, Vanessa. For everything."

The older girl could not stop her smile from stretching until her cheeks ached. "You're welcome. And thank you, Ferb." She put an arm around the back of his neck and pulled him further through the window, right into her lips. She gave him a forceful kiss, then released him and waved as she accelerated away.

Ferb watched the Camaro, which the two of them had repainted metallic electric blue during their time together to help hide it from the police, tear down the street, smiling to himself, a rush of heat and love filling his heart. He was too distracted to hear the front door of the house open behind him.

"Um…hello? Can I help you?" Phineas's voice called.

Snapping from his trance, Ferb spun around to his step-brother's voice. Phineas and Isabella were standing in the doorway, still in their pajamas, and both of them gasped and widened their eyes when they saw his face. "Ferb?!" Phineas cried.

Their eyes were locked on Ferb as the British teen made his way up the walk to the front porch. He was quite perplexed as to why they looked like they'd just seen a ghost. "Hello," he greeted them simply. Still, they continued staring. "Are you two alright?"

"Ferb…" Isabella started slowly. "…your hair is…black." And sure enough, it was nearly the exact same shade as her own raven hair.

_Oh, right. I forgot about that._ "Yes, yes it is."

"_Why_ is your hair black?" Phineas inquired, his voice even more high-pitched than usual.

"Vanessa suggested it. It's a bit difficult to hide from the police when you have bright green hair."

"Is that where you were all this time? With Vanessa?"

Ferb nodded.

Phineas tore his eyes away from his brother and looked out at the street. "Where is Candace's car?"

Ferb shrugged. "Likely either the police impound lot or the junk yard. I am not sure what the protocol is for wrecked impounded vehicles."

Phineas and Isabella slowly faced each other, silent, stunned beyond words.

"I'll retrieve it later," Ferb continued, seeing their mystified expressions. "But at the moment, I am quite tired. I was up all night with Vanessa, so if you don't mind, I would like to get some rest."

Phineas and Isabella slowly stepped aside so that Ferb could enter the house. They followed him with their eyes as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom. When they could no longer see him, their eyes landed back on each other.

"What the hell happened last night?" Isabella asked.

"I don't know," Phineas said slowly, "but I do not I want to find out." He took Isabella's hand and towed her out the front door.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here. Any suggestions?"

Her stomach growled. "Um…Denny's?"

"Sounds good to me." They reached Phineas's Torino parked on the curb.

"Wait, we're still in our pajamas," Isabella said.

Phineas motioned toward his house. "Do you want to go back in there?"

She thought about it a moment. "Good point, let's go."

They strapped themselves into the old car and quickly vacated the scene.

**And that, folks, is where this story comes to an end. I know, this was not the best ending ever, but at this point I just wanted to finish this story and be done with it. I'm sorry about the writing quality. **

**I have a quick announcement here. This is going to be my last new story, at least for a while. I just do not have the same motivation for writing that I used to, nor do I have the time. I will still periodically add to ****_Don't Deny It_****, and maybe a separate one-shot here and there when I get some inspiration, but I do not plan on writing any new major multi-chapter stories any time soon. **

**I hope you enjoyed this story, and I guess I'll see you around! **

**EDD17SP**


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